Interiors: How to make your tile grout glow like new

Rosemary Sadez Friedmann

Monday

Apr 23, 2012 at 12:01 AMApr 23, 2012 at 10:19 PM

One of the toughest and most frustrating parts of spring-cleaning season is cleaning the grout on your tile floor. But don't fret: I've been introduced to a tool that will get your grout clean -- and you won't even have to get down on your hands and knees.

One of the toughest and most frustrating parts of spring-cleaning season is cleaning the grout on your tile floor. But don't fret: I've been introduced to a tool that will get your grout clean -- and you won't even have to get down on your hands and knees.

Let's explore:

-- Common scenario: You clean your tile floor. It seems better, but those grout lines keep getting darker and more ugly. You're probably at your wit's end and ready to get rid of your once-beautiful tile floor.

-- Reason for problem: The lines of grout in your tile are like fine, porous cement. Air movement causes dust to rest in them. Dirt from foot traffic, pets and mop water gets pushed into grout lines, too, which can add up to a real mess. The detergent in your mop water also can leave a sticky residue behind. No wonder it's so difficult to keep these areas clean. Even if you were to scrub each grout line, one by one on your hands and knees, you still wouldn't be able to keep them clean.

And after the cleaning process, who has the energy left to rinse our tile and grout with clean water? Immediately after the rinse water is tainted, it must be discarded and replaced with more clean water or you will only be pushing more dirty water around and into your grout lines.

-- Solution: There's a new product on the market called the Dirty Grout Be Gone Applicator Tool. It helps you to seal grout lines with almost no sloppy mess on the edge of your tile. This hand-held tool puts down a very straight, smooth and even line of sealer, completely coating your grout pores. Once the grout pores are coated and the sealer hardens, coffee, tea, pet urine, balsamic vinaigrette, etc., will easily wipe up, leaving no stain or mess. Until now, grout-sealing tools have been awkward, resulting in a slow process that left a sloppy mess on the tiles.

The Dirty Grout Be Gone Corporation's sealing products come in 27 colors. This product will last up to 10 years, according to the manufacturer.

For more information, visit http://www.dirtygroutbegone.com/ or call 1-866-874-6323.

Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, an interior designer in Naples, Fla., is author of "Mystery of Color." For design inquiries, write to Rosemary at DsgnQuest@aol.com.